Geoff JohnsonJon Jones can become, arguably, the best fighter the UFC has seen if he manages to beat the Swedish Alexander Gustafsson, when they meet this Saturday at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, in a Light Heavyweight 5 rounds clash at the UFC 165.
“A lot of great athletes are hated,” Jones said. “I have to be comfortable with it. I am comfortable with it. I have a strong group of people around me. Really strong friends, really strong coaches, really strong mentors. Those are the people who matter. I’ll continue to be loved by many, hated by many, and be comfortable who I am.”
Jones is 18-1-0 and is the best fighter around, especially after Anderson Silva got knocked out in a ridiculous way in his last outing. He has so much confidence in getting a win that’s he’s already thinking ahead; perhaps thinking about fighting with the heavyweights
“I do believe there could be greater challenges at heavyweight,” Jones said. “Maybe there won’t be. Maybe I’ll be more athletic, more agile, faster, very unpredictable for that weight class, doing things heavyweights don’t normally see. Maybe there will be easier fights for me. You never know. … Cain Velasquez is the champion right now, I think there’s some things I can do athletically that Cain has never seen before. If he can be a small heavyweight, then I can be a small heavyweight with a whole different playbook.”
Gustafsson is 15-1-0, but no one seems to be taking about him. He’s less of a fighter than Jones both in stands and grappling and the odds says he has no shot.
A Gustafsson win pays $500 for every $100 you bet; Jones is listed as a heavy favorite -800.
